Fender for ships



Y. NAKABAYASHI, DECD.

K. NAKABAYASHI, ADMINISTRATOR.

FENDER FOR'SHIFS. APPLICATION FILED AuG.I2. I9I9.

INI/ENToR.

' UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

YOSHINOBU N"AKABAYASHI.l DECEASED, LATE 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, BY KIS-ABURO NAKABAYASHI, ADMINISTRATOR, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

FENDER FOR SHIPS.

Application filed. August 12, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Yosm-.NOBU Nausea YAsrr'i, late a subject of the Mikado of Japan, and a resident of Seattle, in they county of King and State of Vashington, deceasec, (KIs-Amino NAKaBAYAsHI, administrator,) invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenders for Ships, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive mechanism by the use of which a ship will be prevented from foundering upon sunken obstructions and the loss of life and property will be thereby avoided. further object 'of the inven tion is to provide means whereby, when an obstruction is encountered, an alarm may be given and the progress of the vessel automatically arrested so that contact of the hull with the obstruction will not occur and consequent damage to the vessel will be obviated.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and consists rin `certain novel features which will be particularly pointed out in the claims following the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved fender or bumper in its operative position;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the hull of a vessel having the improved bumper or fender secured thereto;V

Fig. 3 isv a perspective view of the main support showing the parts/separated;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the pilot bumper;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section of the pilot bumper;

Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Ther ship or other vessel 1 may be of any desired type and dimensions and the size of the fender will, of course, be determined by the size of the vessel. The fender consists of a plurality of rods slidably supported upon the hull of the vessel and projecting forwardly therefrom and yieldably held in, their forward position, a pilot bumper being also provided` and equipped with suitable connections whereby it may be operatively attached to a bell or other Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Serial No. 317,091.

form ofy alarm or signal and also may be attached to the throttle valve of the engine so that when it is actuated the valve will be closed and the engine stopped. Referring particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a cylinder or sleeve which is secured upon the side of the hull near but above the keel and is held against vertical movement by the brackets or eyes 3 secured rigidly at their ends to the hull and having their intermediate portions closely encircling the sleeve or cylinder. The rear end of the sleeve or cylinder is closed by a plug 4 formed. on the front end of an anchor 5 which is provided with perforations 6 through its foot to permit the insertion of bolts or other fastening devices.

into the hull. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and as will be readily understood, the anchor 5 with its foot 6 is secured in axial alinement with the cylinder or sleeve 3 and the plug 4: tits within the rear end of the sleeve. A rod 7 is fitted slidably in a guiding eye 8 on the hull of the vessel in advance of the cylinder or sleeve 2 and the rear end of this rod 7 is disposed within the said cylinder and carries a piston or plunger head 9 which bears against a spring 10 coiled within the cylinder. The rear end of the spring bears against the plug 4 and a cap 11 is fitted over the front end of the cylinder around the plunger rod 7 so as toprevent the plunger 9 being expelled from the cylinder by the spring, the spring tending constantly to expand and thereby hold the plunger in its foremost position. The parts so far described are duplicated at the two sides of the vessel and the front ends of the plunger rods are joined by a bolt 12 to the upper end of a standard or post 13 which is secured at its lower end rigidly `to the central plunger rod 111. The plunger rod 141 is slidably mounted in a guide 15 secured upon the keel at the. forward end of the same and in the same vertical plane as the guides 8 while the rear portion of the rod 14 plays in a sleeve or cylinder 16 identical in construction with the sleeves or cylinders 2 previously described. The forward extremity of the plunger rod 14; is hollow or provided with a cvlinder. as shown at 17. and to prevent all relatie movement between the post 13 and. the said plunger rod, a recess is 18, and a tenon 19 is formed on the lower end of the post 18 to seat within the said recess, a bolt 2O being inserted through the rod and the tenon, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, to secure the parts together. Within the sleeve or bore 17 is housed a coiled spring '21 which bears at its front end against the piston or head 22 of the pilot bumper, the rod 23 of this bumper passing through and being slidably supported in an opening 1n. the front end of *lm plunger rod 14 and a sinnlar opening 24 in the foot of a brace 25I which extends upwardly to the junction of the upper plunger rods 7 and is secured thereby to the bolt 12. On the front side of the brace 25 and near the lower end thereof is a guide 26 through which passes a cable or other flexible connection 27 which is secured to the pilot bumper head 22 an then passes upwardly and rearwardly to the vessel where it may be carried to a bell or other signal and also attached to the throttle valve of the engine as will be readily understood. l

It is thought the operation of the device will be readily understood. Normally the pilot bumper as well as the several plunger rods are held projected by the springs against which their rear ends respectively bear. Should the vessel strike an obstruction, such as a sunken rock shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the front end of the pilot bumper will make the initial impact against the obstruction and will be thereby pushed yrearwardly and consequently exert a pull upon the flexible connection 27 so as to sound an alarm and also stop the engine if it be connected to the throttle valve of the same. The headway of the vessel will carry it somewhat farther toward the obstruction but the several plunger rods will move rear- V wardly relative to the movement of the "vesseland will, therefore, yieldablyfreceive the impact against the obstruction and will cushion the blow of the vessel so as to prevent serious damage to the-hull if the forwardl movement of the vessel under its own headway be not entirely arrested. The device is exceedingly simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and will be found highly eiiicient in use for the purposes for which it is designed. vAs shown most clearly in Fig. 2, the lower central f plunger rod is straight while the upper and side rodsare curved approximately to correspond to the curvature of the hull of the vessel so that, if under an impact the rods should be pushed rearwardly to the full limit of their stroke they will fit closely against the hull and not extend laterally therefrom so as to prevent obstacles which would tend to impede the progress of the vessel. The plunger rods, it will be noted, are not connected by head plates and consequently the water willhave free passage between the rods so that no additional power will be needed to propel the vessel equipped with the device and, moreover, the curved formation of the upper rods will serve to deflect the course of the vessel if the obstruction be encountered with a glancing blow so that the stoppage of the vessel will not be necessary in order to avoid serious damage. The openings through which the several plunger rods work may be provided with packing ify so desired so that the entrance of water into the interior of the several cylindrical casings or sleeves will be prevented and consequently corrosion cannot occur so that the parts will be in operative condition at all times.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A fender for ships comprising a plurality of casings to be secured to the hull of the vessel on the sides of the same and on the keel thereof, plungers slidably mounted in the respective casings, rods projecting forwardly from the plungers, the rods on the sides 0f the vessel having their forward portions conforming to the shape of the vessel and brought together in advance of the hull, means for connecting the front ends of all said rods, and means for holding the plungers normally in their foremost positions.

2. A fender for ships comprising an openended casing, means for securing the casing to the hull of the vessel, a plug fitting in the rear end of the casing, an anchor carrying said plug and adapted to be secured to the hull of the vessel, a coiled spring within the casing bearing at its rear end against said plug, a plunger slidably mounted in the casv ing and resting against the front end of said spring, a plunger rod extending from said plunger through the front end of the casing, and a guide-secured over the front end of the casing.

3. A fender for ships comprising a plunger, means for supporting said plunger upon the hull of the vessel, means for yieldably holding the plunger in a forward position, a pilot bumper slidably mounted in the forward end of the plunger, means for yieldably holding the pilot bumper in a projected position independent of the means for holding the plunger forward, and a signal operating member attached to said pilot bumper and adapted. to be extended into the vessel.

4. A fender for ships comprising afplunger yieldably supported on the hull of the vessel and projecting forwardly therefrom, other plungers mounted on the sides of the vessel above the first-mentioned plunger, a post connecting the front ends of the lastmentioned plungers with the first-mentioned plunger near the front end of the same, a

bumper and extending through the guide on the brace.

In testimony Whereo I aHX my signature. 10

[L e] K. NAKABAYASHI, Administrator of the estate of Yoshi/06u Nacabag/ash, deceased. 

